The Newtown bee., 1887-12-09
DANBURY.

Allusion was made, few weeks ago, in the BEE to an old Sandemanian church in Newtown. Danburiars at first thought that there was some mistake in the state- ment but it appears that there was a small society of that sect in Newtowu many, many years ago. In Hitchcock s dictionary of religious denominations, ac- companying his Analysis of the Bible, is the following: "Glassites, a small and di- minishing sect found mostly in Scotland, so named from it's founder, John Glass Id 1773) Also called Sandemanians I in this country] from Robert Sandeman, Cd 1771), who joined the sect in 1755 and, by his su- perior abilities, added greatly to it's strength. They are high Calvinists; have weekly celebration of the Lord s Supper, love feasts and kiss of charity. They number less than 30OO" This was pre- pared in 1871. They are fewer now. Per- haps it is not known to all the readers of the BEE that Sandeman came to this coun- try in the last century and founded socie- ties, personally and made Danbury his principal field of labor. He died here and was buried in the old burying ground on Wooster street in the rear of the iail, the oldest cemetery in Danbury, where are moss-grown tombstones dating back 15O or more years, bearing the names of Ben edict, Gregory, Hoyt, Taylor, Beebe, Wild man, Starr and others, old-time Danbury names and yet familiar The memorial stone to Sandeman, standing near the jail in the southeast corner of the ceme tery, bears this inscription:
 Here lies
 until the resurrection
 the body of
 Robert Sandeman
 native of Perth, North Britain,
 who in the face of continual opposition
 from all sons of Men, long and boldly contended for the ancient faith
 that the bare work of Jesus Christ without a decd or thought on the part of Man, is sufficient to present the chief of sinners
 spotless before God.
 To declare this blessed Truth as testified in the Holy Scriptures
 he left his country, he left his Friends,
 and, after much patient suffering,
 finished his abors in Danbury,
 April 2, l77l
 K53
 Degnel Christ to come so nigh tous
 As not to count it shame
 To call us Brethren, should we blush
 At aught that bears his name?
 Nay, let us boast in his leproach
 And glory in his Cross;
 When He appears, one smile from Him
 Will far o'er-pay our loss.
 His theology is engraven on his memor- lal stone. The sect, which. before the coming of Sandeman, was called Glassites, as in Scotland, never grew to large num- bers, yet it counts among its former mem. bers or regular attendants some of ban bury's honored names: Samuel Tweedy, the first of that name here cf any promi- hence, the progenitor of the we'll known family of that name and one of the hat ting fathers; Nathaniel Bishop; Stevens; Morris; Knapp; Col A. F. Tweedy and others. Their last official leader, We be- lieve, was John Knapp, who died few years ago, a most excellent citizen. Their services consisted of reading and explain ing the Scriptures, religious discussion and the Sacrament, which took the form of good social meal after services. They were not aggressive. They were the best of people. Kindness was their character istic. They have dwindled down to very limited number,we understand to less than half dozen. If they meet regularly, we are not informed. Their place of meeting was on the elevated ground in the rear of the News office. The Glassites had a place of worship in Plumtrees, Bethel. where they used to meet, great number of years ago in the last century. Their meeting house was on the bend of the Plumtrees road, near where is now Hodges mills. When the sect ran out or became too small In numbers to hold regular meetings, their meeting house was converted into a dwell- ing and was used as a tenement until it, too, expired with old age and was plotted out of existence. The last Glassite or San- demanian in Bethel was Urcle Isaac Will Hams. who for years used to go weekly to meet with his brethren. He has long since passed away.